When it comes to a director establishing their name, it is not always a case of putting out hit after hit. In some cases, it is a bad start, James Cameron directing and disowning Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) and just over a decade later delivering what is still considered by many to be the best action movie of all time in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Sometimes, the creative juices seem to die out, with Paul W.S. Anderson making one of the most revered sci-fi horror films of all time in Event Horizon (1997), only to tackle and water down the Resident Evil franchise and remove any aspects of horror. Even a revered director like Spielberg can put out Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the middle of great works.
One director that has had a notably varied success rate is David Ayer, who gave us both one of Jason Statham’s best roles in A Working Man alongside one of the most despised hero movies of all time in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Following the director has certainly been a wild ride with some highs and lows.
David Ayer Is a Consistently Inconsistent Director
Many people would first encounter David Ayer’s work with the unique found-footage film End of Watch. A highly innovative and exhilarating take on the gritty crime genre, following a bloody and chaotic day in the lives of two cops (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña), was striking enough of a feature that added name value to his work. Before that, Ayer would direct Harsh Times and Street Kings. These two films had flaws equal to their strengths, whether it be a miscasting of an otherwise beloved Keanua Reeves in Street Kings or an unfocused plot not giving any humanity to an intense performance from Christian Bale.
Following End of Days, Ayer would follow up with his only other film in contention with Suicide Squad as his worst, the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led Sabotage. A miscasting of a post-Governor Arnold, the movie lacked direction, and its violence felt meaningless under its muddled plot and lack of sympathetic characters. He would follow this up with the fan favorite Brad Pitt-led Fury, before arriving at Suicide Squad (2016).
Suicide Squad gave fans Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. But, beyond that, Suicide Squad is a clichéd and generic superhero film that entirely misses the allure of DC’s chaotic team of villains. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, one of the best action comedies of all time, would go on to show just how badly Ayer’s attempt at the team faltered in all respects. A few features later, Ayer would come to deliver what, for many, is now his most definitive work, teaming up with Jason Statham for both The Beekeeper and A Working Man. Both films, divisive in the way most of Statham’s work is, proved to be favorites among action fans, and both fared well at the box office.
When You Deliver Gems, It’s Okay To Falter From Time to Time
As cinema fans, we often lean heavily on the role of the director as being the definitive force behind every production, and their works are defined by their overall body of work. Ayer is in a precarious position, as he does not deliver consistently. However, films like End of Watch and Fury, alongside The Beekeeper and A Working Man for fans of Jason Statham, are standout films that would not have been made if Ayer did not consistently try to hone his craft. If he had given up after the much-maligned Suicide Squad, we would never have gotten his collaborations with Statham.
The cynic would want Ayer to go the way of other directors who seemed to disappear under the weight of a singular failure: Michael Cimino with Heaven’s Gate after the award-winning Deer Hunter, or Richard Kelly after Southland Tales (which, for the record, is not nearly as bad as it was made out to be), despite making the iconic Donnie Darko. When Ayer is on, he is on, and, understandably, some place him among their favorite directors, even if it took a Suicide Squad before A Working Man.
David Ayer currently has two productions in the works, including a remake of The Dirty Dozen, currently in pre-production. An iconic Western, fans will be hoping they get the best of Ayer for this production, but even if it falls short of the heavy expectation, at least viewers can bank on a rebound in a phenomenal follow-up. David Ayer will always be a director to keep an eye on, as a trip up likely means a subsequent must-watch success.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
